What's More American than DC on Memorial Day?

As our time in DC comes to a close, we realized that there was so many more things to experience in DC that had yet to do, and what better time than Memorial Day Weekend. On Friday, we traveled with Glenn School Learning Community to both the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetary. For many of us, it was our first time seeing the Pentagon Memorial, dedicated to those who had lost their lives in the September 11th terrorist attacks both inside the Pentagon and on American Airlines Flight 77. As we walked through the Memorial, it was sombering to see the hundreds of benches, lined up chronologically based on birth, representing those who lost their lives. Small children who were on the plane to seasoned veterans who were working for the government in the building had their names engraved on each bench, facing either the sky or the building based on where they were at the time of the attack. All of the fellows could remember exactly where they were on that September day, and spent an extra moment acknowledging the victims who shared the same year of birth as us who were killed.

We then traveled to Arlington National Cemetary, another place for rememberance and respect for those who had lost their lives serving our country. It may have been one of the hotest days in the year, but we trekked through the cemetary to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where we made it just in time to see the changing of the guard. We were amazed by the precision and control all of the soliders displayed, especially in the 90 degree weather dressed in their full uniforms! Their dedication to honoring the tombs of the WWI, WWII, and Korean War unknown soldiers caused another moment to pause and reflect on their sacrifices.

I was particularly interested in seeing the Kennedy Grave Site during this trip to Arlington. I had seen the Eternal Flame and the resting place of JFK and his family as well as that of his brother Robert, but new to me was the grave of Edward "Ted" Kennedy. This was important to me because it was the only gravesite in this area of someone who I could remember living. I was born far after the deaths of JFK and RFK and have only thought of them as great public servants who were already deceased, but I was 18 when Ted Kennedy passed away, and can vividly remember watching some of his speeches on the Senate floor and public appearances. I saw his funeral and memorial on television, but it was a new and somber experience to see his grave after watching him when he was alive.

On Sunday, the other fellows and I walked along the National Mall to visit the Monuments and War Memorials. There were hundreds of flowers and tokens at each memorial to remember those who had made the ultimate sacrifice. It was important for us to stop and pay a tribute to the World War II and Vietnam Memorials- after all, isn't that what Memorial Day is about?

To finish our patriotic weekend, the four other fellows and I made our way to the Nationals Ballpark to see the Washington Nationals take on the Philadelphia Phillies on Memorial Dat. Being a Phillies fan myself, the group quickly divided into factions as some of the other fellows decided to root for the Nationals. Fittingly enough, both teams colors happened to be a combination of red, white, and blue! The teams took multiple moments to honor current members of the armed forces and their families throughout the game as well as remember those who had lost their lives. God Bless America was sung during the Seventh-inning Stretch, and we left the game feeling a strong sense of pride for our country (an in some of our cases, the Phillies!).

ED